When I read the news about Microsoft offers buyout, something shifted within me. My mind was suddenly filled with countless questions, each leading to another, until I found myself caught in a web of confusion I couldn’t quite put into words
But beneath all those questions, there was one feeling that unsettled me the most: I could feel my faith in the tech industry slowly fading.
I had always looked at technology as a world of possibilities, a place where hard work, knowledge, and years of dedication could build a promising future. It was a world that seemed to stand for progress, opportunity, and growth. Yet now, I find myself questioning the very future I once believed in so confidently.
If years of hard work, experience, and commitment still cannot offer a sense of security, then what does security really mean in this industry? How certain can anyone be about the future they are working so hard to build?
Perhaps it isn’t just the news itself that has left me unsettled. It is the feeling that follows—the uncomfortable realization that even the things we once trusted to be stable may not be as certain as we imagined.
I have so many questions, yet no clear answers. And somehow, the hardest part is not even finding those answers; it is trying to explain what I feel when I can barely make sense of it myself
For the first time, I’m not just questioning what the future of tech looks like. I’m questioning whether I can still trust it the way I used to.
Top comments (46)
水无常势，危机的出现不要怕，危险和机遇是相伴的，现在这个世界确实变化的越来越快，所以不能有一种可以一直静的思维认为不会有变化，动中静，静中动，乱世出英雄，加油。
Water takes no fixed shape. Do not fear when crises arrive; danger and opportunity always go hand in hand. The world is changing faster than ever, so we cannot cling to the mindset that things will stay still forever. There is calm within motion, and motion within calm. Heroes rise in turbulent times. Keep going.
I couldn't understand the actual problem lol but i really wanted to comment something so here it is... 🙂
Thanks for the comment. Honestly, I’m a little worried about Microsoft’s Voluntary Exit Offer. I never expected to see an offer like this, and I certainly wouldn’t want to accept it. 🙃
Luckily its voluntary! 🙂
At the end of the day, even big tech companies can’t be fully trusted. Capitalists…😇
What's "even big tech companies"? Aren't they the ones who can't be trusted? 🤔
I meant we tend to think big firms are safe havens, but that assumption is what breaks easily when shifts happen.
Oh from the employee POV, i was thinking about the customer POV 🤣
Haha, from the customer side, your data is constantly being used to train big tech’s AI too.🤣
But i honestly like small companies more lol even from the employee POV
Each has its own pros and cons. You could try applying for internships during your break to get a taste of it.😆
Yes, I'll be applying for some 🙂
Great! Hope you land something interesting 🤞
Yes I will! I have to get my driving license first 😅
Right! Once you get your license, grab a Ferrari for commuting. Total flex 😎
bro if i had that much money I'd have bought a domain first 😭
BRO already has a BMW!
For real? 🤔
BWM在中文中我们一般开玩笑叫它：别(Bie)摸(Mo)我(Wo)，哈哈哈哈🤣
So it's not only Gemini everything is a joke in china? 🤣
In hindi
BMW = Bahut Mehengi Wali 🤣
Hahaha, there are tons of them! Come learn Chinese, you’ll unlock a whole new world 😂
That’s such a clever pun! Every culture has its own brand jokes 🤣
This isn’t a joke or anything. I just made it randomly. We don’t really have these kinds of jokes in India, I guess, but we have a lot of memes! :D
Haha meme fights are the best! I have loads of funny memes still waiting to be unleashed 🤣
@effessdev Leaving a big company can be really painful too, so a small company is fine . I’ve even done part-time jobs during my school days, and those experiences have been quite helpful as well. If I don’t stay at this company for long, I’ll focus on my own firm too. I already have a GST number, haha! Anyway, @xulingfeng , I’ll be eagerly waiting for your memes because you know that passion is something I don’t have in my dictionary! 🤣
It makes sense that this feels unsettling. You can be good at your job and still not know what comes next, and that gap is the hard part. I think there’s real comfort in knowing the skills you’ve built and the people who know your work go with you, wherever your career takes you. Since the offer is voluntary, you have a choice in how you respond to it. Hope things get clearer for you soon.
Hey virtual hugs 🫂 from my side Divyanshi. This shall too pass. You cleared IIT and got into Microsoft, which is not an easy feat. You will surely be able to grab other opportunities. Just don't lose hope.
Thanks so much Tanay! 😊 ❤️
I understand why this feels unsettling.
I don’t think life has one correct answer, and even things that seem logically “right” are often built on assumptions.
Sometimes the foundation we trusted gets shaken. That’s scary, but maybe that’s also part of life.
We question, struggle, change our minds, and rebuild.
Or maybe I’m thinking too much about this. 😹
I'm a bit of a scaredy-cat, so the email made me nervous 😂 It was quite an interesting experience, though. Let's see what happens next! And honestly, I don't think you're thinking too much. 😹
Don't worry. You'll do just fine. Just make an educated decision about it, that's all. 🥰
My Take on this:
MS is obviously doing an experiment. Say they are expecting N number of people to take the deal. Then X number of people will actually take the deal. In that scenario:
X ~= N, then the rest of the people will do just fine.X << N, then~ N - Xpeople will just lose their job without any payout at all!X >> N, then MS will reject the buyout deal of top~ X - Npeople, and the rest will do just fine!If I were you, I'd try to avoid scenario-2, and check my value to MS. If I'm that valuable to them, they'll reject my buyout deal anyway, and I'll be forever fine there. If they accept, then at least I got something out of it.
Why you should trust your tech knowledge (in short):
On one hand, if AI becomes as good as they say it would, no job will be safe. In that probable future, for example, it'll invent a miracle drug that'll cure all diseases. So even doctors will become jobless! However, even in that probable future (I'd bet it's highly improbable), AI will be the greatest threat humanity has ever faced. In that case, the last line of defense against that would be people who are good in tech. So, in this scenario: you'll do just fine.
On the other hand, if AI never becomes as good as they say it would, it'll still be extremely useful in the hand of people who are good in tech. Which means you'll either find another good enough job, or you'll be able to start something yourself with that buyout money. So, in this scenario too: you'll do just fine.
So cheers! Make the best out of this situation, and whatever you decide, best of luck! 🥰
Thanks so much 😊 Appreciate it!!❤️
What do you mean by "Microsoft’s buyout" - do you mean their plan to 'voluntarily' get rid of 30% (or was it 30K ?) of their employees?
It's a consequence of the AI "craze" - companies are investing astronomical amounts in AI (out of fear to "lose the AI race"), and they recoup part of that money by getting rid of people ...
Maybe your faith in "the tech industry" was a tad optimistic - at the end of the day they're just companies which want to make $$$, and the corporate culture in especially the US is ruthless and ONLY profit/shareholder-driven ...
Sad but true!
You’re absolutely right. All of this is happening partly because of AI. By the way, I think the number was 60,000 employees. But what can I really do as an employee? Companies want to maximize their profits, and from a business perspective, I can understand that too. Let’s see what happens. Maybe they’ll first offer voluntary buyouts and resort to layoffs later. For now, all I can do is wait and see how things unfold. 🙂
Ah just now it dawns on me - are you a Microsoft employee?
But (to be honest) I've never seen Microsoft as a particularly "benign" company - with Satya Nadella at the helm their corporate image got a bit more positive and friendly, but in the old days under Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer they were seen as the Evil Empire, especially because of their shady business practices ...
Yes I'm a Microsoft employee. Do you know? :D
I'm sure you mentioned it, but I forgot, lol ... okay, that makes it quite personal !
In the world of growth, fear is the only gate which would eventually make you fall to the negative growth.
Water takes no fixed shape, so you've to be a body which can make water take a shape whatever you want.
if you failed to shape water, water will shape you.
both is good but better is that you shape water before it shapes you.
Wanting some stability after years of effort is reasonable. "Keep learning" can feel like a frustrating answer when you've already been doing that. You can still enjoy building software and feel disappointed by how employers treat people. You don't have to resolve those feelings into a positive takeaway right away.
I can understand why this feels unsettling, especially when you’re experiencing it from inside the company.
One thing I’ve learned over the years is that no company, regardless of its size or reputation, can guarantee our future. Business priorities change, technologies evolve, and sometimes even the most dedicated people find themselves facing uncertainty.
But here’s something worth remembering: your knowledge, experience, curiosity, and ability to solve problems belong to you, not to Microsoft or any other company.
A company can change its direction overnight, but it cannot take away everything you’ve learned along the way.
It’s perfectly normal to feel worried. You don’t have to turn every difficult situation into a motivational lesson.
Just don’t let uncertainty make you forget your own value. ❤️
And who knows? Sometimes the doors we never planned to open lead to the most interesting places. 🙂